ICHOR LIFE SCIENCES INVESTS $1.5 MILLION IN MITOCHEM THERAPEUTICS FOR OCULAR AGING DISEASE RESEARCH
Summary
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, MitoChem Therapeutics develops treatments to address the effects of mitochondrial dysfunctiona hallmark of agingin neurodegenerative diseases.MitoChem Therapeutics and Ichor Life Sciences will work together to advance the development of a small molecule pharmaceutical eyedrop, targeting the mitochondria to treat age-related eye disease.Our lead compound is unique in its ability to treat a key mechanism of disease in a broad range of hard-to-treat diseases, said Michael Voevodsky, CEO of MitoChem Therapeutics. Through our placement with MitoChem, we anticipate making significant advancements related to the treatment of age-related ocular disease while assessing the drugability of fundamental hallmarks of aging more broadly.MitoChem Therapeutics will also open a satellite lab in Potsdam, N.Y., at Clarkson Universitys Peyton Hall Biotechnology Incubator to support the work at Ichor. Ichor Discovery Services provides world-class protein manufacturing, as well as a full suite of capabilities in structural biology, biophysics, and assay development. Early funding by Foundation Fighting Blindness and NIH has resulted in a proprietary library of mitochondrial protective compounds, and early proof of concept in numerous in vivo models for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).The lead compound MC16 is a first-in-class small molecule that up-regulates pro-survival and anti-oxidant pathways. The company is pursuing partnerships to develop non-ophthalmic indications such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, ALS, muscular dystrophies, diabetes, ischemias and kidney diseases.